Saturday, October 22, 2011

Exhibit #81: Fire & Ice

Don the Beachcomber’s Coffee Grog $9The tiki godfather’s signature after dinner drink, and for me one of his very best. Baroque as all get out, this 1937 recipe begins with a teaspoon of batter made of orange blossom honey, butter, allspice dram, and cinnamon and vanilla syrups. To this peels of orange and grapefruit are added, along with sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and of course coffee. A ladle of flaming rum (equal parts gold Jamaican (Appleton V/X) and an overproof demerara (Lemon Hart 151) on top delivers the payload.

Pearl Diver’s Punch $12Another Don the Beachcomber drink, also 1937, that employs the same batter as the Coffee Grog above – and more of it, along with a blend of three rums (demerara, gold Puerto Rican and Jamaican), orange and lime juices, falernum, and crushed ice. This is a double.

Sitting Bull Fizz $8#51. Two parts whiskey to one part gold rum, lemon juice, sugar, soda, up. From “the only William” Schmidt, 1892 – two years at most after Sitting Bull’s death.

Yokohama Cocktail $7Two parts gin and orange juice to one part each vodka and pomegranate syrup, with a dash of Pernod, up. Another of the few early vodka cocktails, and like the others it is of European derivation. This one is from Henry Craddock’s classic Savoy book, 1930.